According to a Rooivalk engineer it outperformed the Apache in Saudi and Australia a few years ago, its systems is better equipped to the heat. The Rooivalk is built to fight in harsh, bushy, warm areas. It is easy to operate in those environments and heat. It's range is 740 km, which means that is can move over great distances which is needed in peace missions.
"A Rooivalk Engineer." Care to provide his name and his experience in working on BOTH helicopters???
The Rooivalk is a fine machine, but the last time I looked the deserts of Iraq are hot and dusty. When you say "bushy" are you referring to high heat, high humidity environments? The Apache operates in those environments (The AH-64's first combat action was in Panama) plus the extreme weather swings of Afghanistan. The Apache is combat proven and during the Gulf War a total of 277 AH-64s took part, destroying 278 tanks, numerous armored personnel carriers and other Iraqi vehicles. As of 2011, the U.S. Army Apache fleet had accumulated more than 3 million flight hours since the first prototype flew in 1975. Besides the US Army, 13 other nations fly the AH-64 and it still continues to be refined. There have been over 1,000 AH-64s built and as we speak older airframes and continued to be re-manufactured. There have only been 12 Rooivalks ever produced and not one sold abroad.
Taken from Wiki, here's a comparison;
Rooivalk
Crew: 2 (pilot weapon systems officer)
Length: 18.73 m[18] (61 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Rotor diameter: 15.58 m (51 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Height: 5.19 m (17 ft 0¼ in)
Disc area: 190.60 m2 (2,052.1 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,730 kg (12,632 lb)
Loaded weight: 7,500 kg (16,535 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 8,750 kg (19,290 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Turbomeca Makila 1K2 turboshafts, 1,420 kW (1,904 shp) each
Internal fuel capacity: 1,854 L (489.8 US gallons)
Performance
Never exceed speed: 309 km/h (167 knots, 193 mph)
Cruise speed: 278 km/h (150 knots, 173 mph) at sea level (max cruise)
Range: 740 km (380 nmi, 437 mi) at sea level(max internal fuel)
Ferry range: 1,335 km (720 nmi, 829 mi) at 1525 m (5,000 ft) (max external fuel)
Service ceiling: 6,100 m (20,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 13.3 m/s (2,620 ft/min)
Armament
1 × F2 20 mm cannon, 700 rounds
8 or 16 × Mokopa ZT-6 long-range anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM),
4 × MBDA Mistral air-to-air missiles,
38 or 76 × 70 mm folding fin aerial rockets (FFAR)
AH-64 Apache
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot, and co-pilot/gunner)
Length: 58.17 ft (17.73 m) (with both rotors turning)
Rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Height: 12.7 ft (3.87 m)
Disc area: 1,809.5 ft² (168.11 m²)
Empty weight: 11,387 lb (5,165 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,650 lb (8,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 23,000 lb (10,433 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric T700-GE-701 and later upgraded to T700-GE-701C (1990–present) T700-GE-701D (AH-64E) turboshafts, -701: 1,690 shp, −701C: 1,890 shp, −701D: 2,000 shp (-701: 1,260 kW, −701C: 1,409 kW, −701D: 1,490 kW) each
Fuselage length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
Rotor systems: 4 blade main rotor, 4 blade tail rotor in non-orthogonal alignment
Performance
Never exceed speed: 197 knots (227 mph, 365 km/h)
Maximum speed: 158 knots (182 mph, 293 km/h)
Cruise speed: 143 knots (165 mph, 265 km/h)
Range: 257 nmi (295 mi, 476 km) with Longbow radar mast
Combat radius: 260 nmi (300 mi, 480 km)
Ferry range: 1,024 nmi (1,180 mi, 1,900 km)
Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m) minimum loaded
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)
Disc loading: 9.80 lb/ft² (47.9 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (0.31 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 Chain Gun with 1,200 rounds as part of the Area Weapon Subsystem
Hardpoints: Four pylon stations on the stub wings. Longbows also have a station on each wingtip for an AIM-92 Stinger twin missile pack.
Rockets: Hydra 70 70 mm, and CRV7 70 mm air-to-ground rockets
Missiles: Typically AGM-114 Hellfire variants; AIM-92 Stinger may also be carried.
I see little distinct difference between the two except for some marketing claims about the Rooivalk. It's obvious the AH-64 carries way more advanced weapons systems and is notabily faster. In the field I'd take a combat proven weapons system any day despite claims of it being a "better" machine, probably why no one beside South Africa operates the Rooivalk...